Abon owners, employee indicted

The owners of Abon Cards & Coins, Larry and Donna Bence, and store employee Benjamin Berry have been indicted in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, each on numerous counts of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, according to court records.(Photo: Dave Polcyn/News Journal)

MANSFIELD – The owners of Abon Cards & Coins, Larry and Donna Bence, and store employee Benjamin Berry have been indicted in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, each on numerous counts of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, according to court records.

The allegations include Abon supplying "shoppers" with lists of desirable items for which Abon would pay a premium, according to the indictment, thereby encouraging "shoppers" to steal from various national chain retail stores.

Cuyahoga County Prosecutor T.J. McGinty on Aug. 12 filed on a true bill indictment against the Mansfield business, the owners and employee Berry accusing them of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, known as RICO, according to Joseph F. Frolik, spokesman for the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office.

The offenses are alleged to have occurred from about March 1, 2013, to July 22, 2014, according to the indictment.

Larry Bence, 70, 136 Marion Ave., is charged with 25 counts in the indictment; Donna Bence, 66, 136 Marion Ave., is charged with 10 counts; Benjamin Berry, 20, of Bellville, is charged with 10 counts and Abon the business is charged with 24 counts, Frolik said.

Larry Bences' charges on the indictment include one count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, two counts of conspiracy, two counts of telecommunications fraud, aggravated theft, 15 counts of receiving stolen property, three counts of additional money laundering prohibitions, and possessing criminal tools, according to the indictment.

Larry Bence's bond was set at $10,000 cash/surety/property on Tuesday following his arraignment. Donna Bence's bond was set at $2,500 cash/surety/property; and Berry's bond was also set at $2,500 cash/surety/property, both on Aug. 26.

According to the indictment, numerous weapons were seized, along with seven crates of ammunition, a 2007 GMC Sierra 1500, 204 Chevy Silverado 2500, a 1990 Wells Cargo enclosed trailer, unspecified property, which according to the real property land parcel number on file at the Richland County Auditor's Office is listed as being owned by Larry and Donna Bence, 130-136 Marion Ave.; bank accounts,and $34,488 in cash.

A pretrial conference is set for 9 a.m. Sept. 2 at the Justice Center in Cleveland for all three defendants.

Donna Bence is charged with engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, two counts of conspiracy, four counts of receiving stolen property, two counts of additional money laundering prohibitions and possessing criminal tools.

Berry is charged with engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, two counts of conspiracy, five counts of receiving stolen property, additional money laundering prohibitions, and possessing criminal tools.

The Secret Service, FBI, IRS and Mansfield police searched the Bences' business at 115 Park Avenue West on July 23. Authorities raided the home of Larry and Donna Bence, the owners of Abon Cards and Coins, after the raid and seized numerous firearms, power tools and cash at 136 Marion Ave.

The 23-page indictment includes allegations these three individuals encouraged "shoppers" to engage in corrupt activity:

"Supplying 'shoppers' with lists of desirable items for which the defendant's organization would pay a (well-below retail but substantial for items of questionable origin) premium, thereby encouraging and guiding said 'shoppers' to the preferred items that they should steal from various national-chain retail establishments in and around Cuyahoga County and numerous adjoining counties, providing a viable and profitable outlet for 'shoppers' or individuals with stolen items to transact, and, upon negotiating for possession of the those items, placing the stolen items on Internet sales websites such as E-Bay intending to sell the items for less than retail, thereby undercutting and defrauding area retailers of both their merchandise and available customers on a national level," according to the indictment.

Frolik said that the state believes some of the stolen materials were stolen in Richland County, as the thefts are alleged to have occurred at Home Depot and Target.

Frolik said the penalty for RICO charges is three to 11 years.

He said a lot of the charges against the defendants and Abon are third-degree felonies and come with a sentencing range of nine to 36 months. The felonies will be charged as separate offenses and the charges could be consecutive or concurrent, Frolik said.

In July, at the Bences' 136 Marion Ave. home, detectives reported finding a Remington 12-gauge shotgun that was reported stolen in March 2009, according to a Mansfield police report.

Meanwhile, two people arrested July 24 on Chilton Avenue after hiding from police for hours were arraigned in Mansfield Municipal Court, each on a charge of receiving stolen property.

Police alleged the couple attempted to sell stolen merchandise at Abon on the same day Secret Service, FBI, IRS and Mansfield police searched the business.

While at 136 Marion Ave., detectives also found $2,870 in U.S. currency inside a gun safe. Secret Service agents took possession of the power tools and cash. All of the firearms were submitted to the Forensic Science Section. Larry Bence was served with seizure paperwork, according to the police report. Follow-up and charges will be handled by the Secret Service, according to the report. A 2007 GMC Sierra was towed from 136 Marion Ave. to the METRICH enforcement unit for storage.

Smokey Everett, special agent in charge of the Cleveland field office for the Secret Service, said the search warrant at Abon was served because "... we have been engaged in a multi-jurisdictional wire fraud investigation involving the online Internet sale of a vast array of stolen merchandise."

Friday, when contacted at Abon, Larry Bence said he has been advised not to comment to media. His store is open for business.